Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department provides to local authorities on evidential standards when measuring walking distances for home-to-school transport eligibility in Surrey.

It is the responsibility of local authorities (LAs) to measure routes and determine whether a child lives beyond the statutory walking distance from their school. Our statutory guidance explains that, when making this assessment, LAs must measure the shortest route along which a child, accompanied as necessary, may walk in reasonable safety. This includes sections that use footpaths or bridleways, as well as sections that use roads. The guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-to-school-travel.